This invention relates to an automobile wheel cover, and particularly to one that is easy to safety adjust the tightness of the wheel cover body and quickly fixing the wheel cover on a wheel.
A conventional automobile wheel cover is shown in FIG. 1, and includes a wheel cover body 1, a steel ring 2 with two ends, and a plurality of ring supporters 10 fixed with the steel cover for positioning the steel ring 2. All ring supporters 10, except one, have a horizontal groove 11 for the steel ring 2 to fit therein so as to keep the steel ring 2 from loosening off. One of the ring supporters 10 is especially formed with two horizontal grooves 12, 13 respectively at an upper portion and a lower portion of one side, and a position groove 14 formed in an intermediate portion of the other side, as shown in FIG. 2. The upper horizontal groove 12 is deeper than the lower groove 13.
One end of the steel ring 2 is fitted in the position groove 14 and the other end is fitted in the lower groove 13 so that the diameter of the steel ring 2 becomes slightly smaller and the outward expansion force of the steel ring 2 is comparatively small. Provision of the two grooves 12, 13 of the ring supporters 10 results in adjusting the expanding force of the steel ring and the ring supporters 10 fixed with the wheel cover body 1.
If the wheel cover 1 is to be adjusted tighter, then the end of the wheel ring 2 fitted in the position groove 14 is maintained in position, and the other end of the steel ring 2 is pulled out of the lower deep groove 13 and fitted in the upper deeper groove 12. Then the diameter of the steel ring 2 becomes larger than that of the steel ring 2 fitted in the lower shallower groove 13 so that the outward expansion force of the steel ring 2 may become larger. Thus, the expanding force of the ring supporters 10 of the wheel cover body 1 may be adjusted.
As described above, the function of adjusting the tightness of the wheel cover body 1 is effected by fitting one end of the steel ring 2 in the position groove 14, and the other end of the steel ring 2 in the upper deeper groove 12 or the lower shallower groove 13. But in adjusting the tightness of the wheel cover body 1, the steel ring 2 must be pried off the grooves 11 of all ring supporters 10 except that having the position grooves 14 and the upper and the lower grooves 12, 13 before the two ends of the steel ring 2 may be pried off with a sufficient work space and fitted again in either of the two grooves 12, 13. If one end of the steel ring 2 is to be moved from the upper groove 12 to the lower groove 13 or vice versa, the step just described is needed. Then the remaining portion of the steel ring is fitted again in the grooves 11 of all the ring supporters 10 except that containing the two ends of the steel ring 2.
It is evident that the steel ring 2 has two ends that are not welded together, so in prying these two ends in or out of the grooves 12, 13 and 14 involves a potential danger of injury to a worker and nearby persons since the ends of the steel ring 2 have a high hardness and sharp cut edges. Thus, it is very inconvenient and dangerous to adjust the tightness of a conventional wheel cover 1. In addition, the two ends of a steel ring 2 are located at different heights after being fitted in the position groove 14 and either of the upper and the lower grooves 12, 13. Consequently, the outward expansion force received by the ring supporters 10 is not balanced.